Method and system for broadband near-field communication utilizing full spectrum capture (fsc) supporting configuration and regulatory requirements

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication device generates and transmits wireless broadband signals at a power level that is below a spurious emissions mask such that the transmitted wireless broadband signals occupy a designated frequency spectrum band. A bandwidth of the wireless broadband signals may occupy approximately 800 MHz within a range of 0 Hz to 1 GHz. The transmit power utilized for transmitting the wireless broadband signals may be spread over a bandwidth of approximately 300 MHz within the 800 MHz bandwidth. The spreading results in a power spectral density of the transmitted wireless broadband signals approximating thermal noise at a distance of approximately 3 meters. Available channels within the designated frequency spectrum band may be sensed for the transmission of the wireless broadband signals. A plurality of the sensed available channels may be aggregated for the transmission of the wireless broadband signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to, andclaims benefit from:

-   U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/599,045, which was filed on    Feb. 15, 2012; and-   U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/605,001, which was filed on    Feb. 29, 2012.

This application also makes reference to:

-   U.S. application Ser. No. 13/723,897, which is filed on Dec. 21,    2012;-   U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 25044US02),    which is filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. application Ser. No. 13/726,965, which is filed on Dec. 26,    2012;-   U.S. application Ser. No. 13/726,994, which is filed on Dec. 26,    2012;-   U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 25047US02),    which is filed on even date herewith; and-   U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 25048US02),    which is filed on even date herewith.

Each of the above reference applications is hereby incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to communication systems.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for broadband near-field communication utilizing fullspectrum capture supporting configuration and regulatory requirements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a new short-range, standards-basedwireless connectivity technology that uses magnetic field induction toenable communication between electronic devices in close proximity.Based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, NFCprovides a medium for the identification protocols that validate securedata transfer. NFC enables users to perform intuitive, safe, contactlesstransactions, access digital content and connect electronic devicessimply by touching or bringing devices into close proximity.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention asset forth in the remainder of the present application with reference tothe drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and/or system for broadband near-field communication utilizingfull spectrum capture supporting configuration and regulatoryrequirements, substantially as shown in and/or described in connectionwith at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in theclaims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary communication system,such as a Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) system, that utilizesfull spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary device thatperforms, for example, Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC)utilizing full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary controller, suchas a Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) controller for example,utilizing full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary implementationfor a controller, such as a Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC)controller for example, that utilizes a tunable notch filter in areceive path with full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary center tapantenna that is utilized for full spectrum capture (FSC) in, forexample, Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates exemplary steps for devicepairing and security in, for example, Broadband Near Field Communication(BNC) utilizing full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 a flow chart illustrating exemplary distance-based pairing ofdevices, such as BNC/FSC devices for example, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that illustrates exemplary steps forpositioning an object using, for example, Broadband Near FieldCommunication (BNC) with full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingutilizing Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with full spectrumcapture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingdata utilizing Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with fullspectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingdata utilizing Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with fullspectrum capture (FSC) using a pool of channels, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for concurrentcommunication of data among Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC)with full spectrum capture (FSC) devices, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and systemfor broadband near-field communication utilizing full spectrum capture(BNC/FSC) supporting configuration and regulatory requirements. Invarious embodiments of the invention, a BNC/FSC transmitter in awireless communication device may be operable to generate and transmitwireless broadband signals at a power level that is below a spuriousemissions mask such that the transmitted wireless broadband signalsoccupy a designated frequency spectrum band. A bandwidth of thetransmitted wireless broadband signals may occupy approximately 800 MHzwithin a range of 0 Hz to 1 GHz. The BNC/FSC transmitter may be operableto transmit the wireless broadband signals so that the correspondingpower utilized for transmitting the wireless broadband signals may bespread over a bandwidth of approximately 300 MHz within the 800 MHzbandwidth. The spreading results in a power spectral density of thetransmitted wireless broadband signals approximating thermal noise at adistance of approximately 3 meters. Available channels within thedesignated frequency spectrum band may be sensed for the transmission ofthe wireless broadband signals. A plurality of the sensed availablechannels may be aggregated for the transmission of the wirelessbroadband signals. The BNC/FSC transmitter may be operable tocommunicate the wireless broadband signals via one or more asymmetricgain antennas. In this regard, the transmission of the wirelessbroadband signals via the one or more asymmetric gain antennas by theBNC/FSC transmitter may utilize a low gain. The transmitted wirelessbroadband signals may be received via the one or more asymmetric gainantennas utilizing a high gain.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary communication system,such as a Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) system for example,that utilizes full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there isshown a communication system 100 comprising a plurality of devices110(a) through 110(c), and associated communication networks 122 through126. The plurality of devices 110(a) through 110(c) may be, for example,BNC/FSC enabled.

A BNC/FSC enabled device such as the BNC/FSC enabled device 110(a) maycomprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may beoperable to perform Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with otherBNC/FSC enabled devices. In this regard, the BNC/FSC enabled device110(a) may exchange or communicate various types of information such as,for example, telephone numbers, pictures, multimedia content and filessuch as MP3 files, and/or digital authorizations with other BNC/FSCenabled devices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b) and 110(c).For data transmission with BNC, a BNC enabled device that initiates thedata transmission refers to a polling device (initiator), while a BNCenabled device that is targeted by the polling device refers to alistening device. A BNC enabled device such as the BNC/FSC enableddevice 110(a) may operate in a reader/writer mode (active mode), a cardemulation mode (passive mode), or a peer-to-peer mode. In active mode,the BNC/FSC enabled device 110(a) is active and reads or writes to apassive legacy RFID tag. In passive mode, the BNC/FSC enabled device110(a) behaves like an existing contactless card conforming to one ofthe legacy standards. In peer-to-peer mode, the BNC/FSC enabled device110(a) and its peer BNC enabled device such as the BNC/FSC enableddevice 110(b) may exchange or communicate information. In this regard,the initiator device (polling device) may require less power compared tothe reader/writer mode. Depending on device capacities, the BNC/FSCenabled devices 110(a)-110(c) may coexist with or support other wirelesstechnologies such as, for example, ZigBee, Bluetooth, WLAN, and WiMax.In this regard, the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b) and 110(c) mayoperate in various spectrum bands. For example, with Zigbee enabled, theBNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c) may operate in 868 MHz, 915 MHz or2.4 GHz frequency bands. With Bluetooth enabled, the BNC/FSC enableddevices 110(b) and 110(c) may operate within the 2.4 GHz band. With WLANenabled, the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b) and 110(c) may operatewithin the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. With fixed WiMAX enabled,the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b) and 110(c) may operate in the 2.5 GHzand 3.5 GHz frequency bands, which require a license, as well as thelicense-free 5.8 GHz band. With mobile WiMAX enabled, the BNC/FSCenabled devices 110(b) and 110(c) may operate in the 2.3-2.4 GHz,2.5-2.7 GHz, 3.3-3.4 GHz and 3.4-3.8 GHz frequency bands.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSC enabled device110(a) may be operable to utilize full-spectrum capture (FSC) technologyto meet the challenging demands of operators, consumers, and hardwarevendors while providing efficient scalability for future development. Inthis regard, the BNC/FSC enabled device 110(a) may be operable todigitize all, or substantially all, of the spectrum covered by theprotocol(s) of interest, such that all, or substantially all, channelsof the protocol(s) are concurrently digitized and available for furtherprocessing. The BNC/FSC enabled device 110(a) may utilize BNC togetherwith full spectrum capture to provide BNC/FSC hybrid solutions forproliferating data or content delivery and services throughout the homeand to connected devices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b) and110(c). Aspects of full spectrum capture may be found in U.S.application Ser. No. 13/485,003 filed May 31, 2012, U.S. applicationSer. No. 13/336,451 filed on Dec. 23, 2011 and U.S. Application61/532,098 filed Sep. 7, 2011. Each of these applications is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The ZigBee network 122 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code,and/or interfaces that may be operable to provide data services tovarious ZigBee-based devices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices110(a)-110(c) using ZigBee technology. ZigBee is a standard that definesa set of communication protocols on top of the IEEE 802.15.4 RadioProtocol for low-data-rate short-range wireless networking. For example,the ZigBee network 122 may incorporate ZigBee radios to operate at 1 mWRF power and to go to sleep when not involved in transmission so as tominimize power consumption and promote long battery life inbattery-powered devices.

The Bluetooth network 124 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to provide data services tovarious Bluetooth-based mobile devices such as the BNC/FSC enableddevices 110 a-110 c using Bluetooth technology. A Bluetooth-based mobiledevice such as the BNC/FSC enabled device 110 a may be operable tocommunicate Bluetooth radio frequency signals with peer Bluetoothdevices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b)-110(c) for variousdata services such as SMS/MMS and mobile TV.

The WiFi network 126 may comprise suitable logic, devices, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to provide data services to variousmobile devices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c) byusing WiFi technology. A WiFi-based mobile device such as the BNC/FSCenabled device 110 a may be operable to communicate WiFi radio frequencysignals with peer WiFi devices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices110(b)-110(c) for various data services such as SMS/MMS and mobile TV.

In operation, the BNC/FSC devices 110(a)-110(c) may provide BNC/FSChybrid solutions for signal or data transmission at power densitiesthrough associated communication networks such as the Bluetooth network124. To support the data transmission with BNC, the BNC/FSC enableddevices 110(a)-110(c) may be configured to utilize full spectrum capturein order to detect usable channels and aggregate the usable channels toincrease channel bandwidth for the data transmission. In one embodimentof the invention, for transmission, the data transmission may be carriedor transmitted over a single channel within the operating spectrum band.However, for reception, multiple reference elements or signals such aspilot signals may be utilized to determine or detect which of channelsin the operating spectrum band may be indeed usable.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary device thatperforms, for example, Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC)utilizing full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown adevice 200 comprising a transceiver 210, a Bluetooth transceiver 220, aWiFi transceiver 230, a processor 240, and a memory 250. The BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may comprise a transmitter 210 a and a receiver 210 b.The Bluetooth transceiver 220 may comprise a transmitter 220 a and areceiver 220 b. The WiFi transceiver 230 may comprise a transmitter 230a and a receiver 230 b. The transceiver 210 may be, for example, aBNC/FSC transceiver 210. The Bluetooth transceiver 220 and the WiFitransceiver 230 may be optional depending on device capabilities,network availabilities and/or user preferences.

The BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may allow the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 andother BNC capable devices to perform communication according to a BNCprotocol. The BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may operate in a reader/writermode (active mode), a card emulation mode (passive mode), or apeer-to-peer mode. In active mode, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may actlike contactless cards. In this regard, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 mayenable the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 being used for payment. In passivemode, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may enable interacting with RF tags.For example, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may enable the BNC/FSC enableddevice 200 used to read ‘Smart Posters’ (writer RF tags) to see whateverinformation has been included. In peer-to-peer mode, the BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may be operable to communicate with another BNC capabledevices. For example, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may enable the BNC/FSCenabled device 200 to communicate information with other BNC/FSC enableddevices 110(a)-110(c).

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210may utilize a dedicated RF front-end circuitry for data transmission andreceiving using BNC. In this regard, the transmitter 210 a may beoperable to utilize a dedicated transmit RF front-end circuitry for datatransmission and the receiver 210 b may be operable to utilize adedicated receive RF front-end circuitry for data reception.Accordingly, there are no shared components between the transmitter 210a and other transmitters (e.g. 220 a, 230 a) and there are no sharedcomponents between the receiver 210 b and other receivers (e.g. 220 b,230 b) In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may share a RF front-end circuitry with othertechnology-based transceivers such as the Bluetooth transceiver 220 andthe WiFi transceiver 230. In this regard, the transmitter 210 a may beoperable to share transmit RF front-end circuitry with the transmitter220 a of the Bluetooth transceiver 220 and/or the transmitter 230 a ofthe WiFi transceiver 230. The receiver 210 b may be operable to sharereceive RF front-end circuitry with the receiver 220 b of the Bluetoothtransceiver 220 and/or the receiver 230 b of the WiFi transceiver 230.In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may be configured to communicate signals or data in BNCutilizing full spectrum capture. In this regard, the BNC/FSC transceiver210 may be allowed to capture or utilize the entire spectrum band fordata or signal transmission and receiving. For transmission, the BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may be instructed or signaled to utilize a singlechannel within the spectrum band. For reception, the BNC/FSC transceiver210 may be configured to utilize one or more channels within the entirespectrum band.

The Bluetooth transceiver 220 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate Bluetoothradio signals over the Bluetooth network 124. In an exemplary embodimentof the invention, the Bluetooth transceiver 220 may be on continuouslywhen needed and may utilize more power than full spectrum capture. TheBluetooth transceiver 220 may be enabled to support coexistenceoperations so as to receive Bluetooth signals while utilizing fullspectrum capture in the BNC/FSC enabled device 200. In an exemplaryembodiment of the invention, the Bluetooth transceiver 220 may utilize adedicated RF front-end circuitry for data transmission and receivingusing Bluetooth. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, theBluetooth transceiver 220 may share a RF front-end circuitry with theBNC/FSC transceiver 210 for data transmission and receiving usingBluetooth. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in someinstances, the Bluetooth transceiver 220 may be securely paired withother Bluetooth and BNC capable devices utilizing BNC. In this regard,the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may be enabled to exchange authenticationinformation over an BNC link for pairing the Bluetooth transceiver 220with other Bluetooth and BNC capable devices.

The WiFi transceiver 230 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate WiFi radiosignals over the WiFi network 126. In an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the WiFi transceiver 230 may be on continuously when neededand may utilize more power than full spectrum capture. The WiFitransceiver 230 may be enabled to support coexistence operations so asto receive WiFi signals while utilizing full spectrum capture in theBNC/FSC enabled device 200. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention,the WiFi transceiver 230 may utilize a dedicated RF front-end circuitryfor data transmission and reception using WiFi. In another exemplaryembodiment of the invention, the WiFi transceiver 230 may share a RFfront-end circuitry with the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 for datatransmission and receiving using WiFi.

The processor 240 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be enabled to perform a variety of signalprocessing tasks such as channel selection or filtering, digitalscaling, rate conversion, carrier/time synchronization/recovery,equalization/demapping, and/or channel decoding. The processor 240 maysupport various modem operations such as OFDM and CDMA operations. Theprocessor 240 may be operable to coordinate and control operations ofthe BNC/FSC transceiver 210, the Bluetooth transceiver 220, and the WiFitransceiver 230 to communicate corresponding radio signals whileutilizing full spectrum capture. For example, the processor 240 maymanage, activate or deactivate the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 according toreceived Bluetooth signals via the Bluetooth transceiver 220. Theprocessor 240 may also be operable to synchronize the operation of theBNC/FSC transceiver 210 and the Bluetooth transceiver 220, for example,so as to reduce time delay for accurately determining the location of anobject of interest. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, theprocessor 240 may be operable to manage data transmission as well asdata reception. For transmission, the processor 240 may be operable toselect or utilize a single channel within the operation spectrum bandfor data transmission. For reception, the processor 240 may be operableto utilize multiple reference elements or signals such as pilot signalsto determine or detect which of channels in the operation spectrum bandmay be indeed usable. The processor 240 may also be operable toaggregate the usable channels to increase channel bandwidth for the datatransmission.

In various embodiments of the invention, the processor 240 may enableconfiguration of the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 to operate in differentcommunication environments. In this regard, for example, power, distanceand bandwidth may be configured in order to stay within the FCC masksand limits and at the same time, provide optimal performance across theentire bandwidth.

For FCC requirements, power may be measured in a 120 KHz spectrumbandwidth. To determine how much power could be transmitted, thebandwidth available has to be determined. Once the bandwidth isdetermined, that value may be divided by 120 KHz and the resultsmultiplied by the power that may be transmitted. For example, within thebroadcast television frequency band, spurious radiation within a 120 kHzbandwidth must result in a field strength of 200 microvolts per meter orless, measured at a distance of 3 meters from an isotropic radiator.This field strength equates to a transmitted power of 0.01 microwatts(−50 dBm) of power radiating isotropically. If a bandwidth much largerthan 120 kHz is utilized, the FCC requirements imply that much morepower may be transmitted without transgressing limits on spuriousemissions. For example, if a device transmits its power over a 100 MHzbandwidth, then dividing this 100 MHz bandwidth by the measurementbandwidth of 120 KHz results in a 29 dB increase in allowable spuriousemission levels. In order to stay well within the FCC limitations forspurious emissions, a device may be designed to transmit −50 dBm spreadover a full gigahertz (GHz) of bandwidth, which is 39 dB below the FCCspurious radiation power spectral density limitations. With such aconservative estimate, the FCC may not possibly complain and consumerproduct manufacturers may have no issues or have any questions aboutwhether the product may pass the FCC regulation.

Although −50 dBm may seem like very little power, using full spectrumcapture may enable a wealth of applications. At this power level,several bits per second per hertz may be reliably conveyed across adistance of about 10 cm, equating to several gigabits per second ofcapacity if the entire television spectrum up to 1 GHz is employed. Ifthe −50 dBm transmitted power is spread over a subset of the televisionspectrum (e.g. 200 to 600 MHz), there is a low likelihood ofinterference with any device 3 meters or farther away.

When broadband near-field communication is employed at a distance lessthan a wavelength, then attenuation improves nonlinearly as distancedecreases linearly.

The processor 240 may establish a high data rate communication linkutilizing BNC which transmits power levels 30 dB or more below spuriousemission levels permitted by FCC, while maintaining a link budget withsufficient margin to address a variety of use cases, trading off datarate for transmission distance or barrier penetrating capabilities. Onemethod of implementing this tradeoff is to use spread spectrumtechniques to achieve spreading gain in exchange for throughput, such asis employed in CDMA systems. With a 30 dB margin, signals may, forexample, be communicated through a typical non-load-bearing concretewall.

The transmitter 210 a in the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 is operable totransmit generated wireless broadband signals at a power level that isbelow a spurious emissions mask. The transmitter 210 a may transmit thewireless broadband signals so that the transmitted wireless broadbandsignals occupy a designated frequency spectrum band. In an exemplaryembodiment of the invention, the transmitter 210 a may transmit thewireless broadband signals so that a bandwidth of the transmittedwireless broadband signals may occupy approximately 800 MHz within afrequency range of 0 Hz to 1 GHz.

The transmitter 210 a may also be operable to transmit the wirelessbroadband signals so that the corresponding power utilized fortransmitting the wireless broadband signals may be spread over abandwidth of approximately 300 MHz within the 800 MHz bandwidth. In anaspect of the invention, the spreading the wireless broadband signalsmay result in a power spectral density of the transmitted wirelessbroadband signals approximating thermal noise at a distance ofapproximately 3 meters.

The transmitter 201 a in the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may be operable tosense the designated frequency spectrum band for available channels inorder to transmit the wireless broadband signals. In this regard, thetransmitter 210 a may be operable aggregate a plurality of the sensedavailable channels in order to transmit the wireless broadband signals.The transmitter 210 a in the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may be operable tocommunicate the wireless broadband signals via one or more asymmetricgain antennas. In this regard, the transmitter 210 a is in the BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 operable to transmit the wireless broadband signals viathe one or more asymmetric gain antennas utilizing low gain.Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention, the transmitted wirelessbroadband signals may be received via one or more asymmetric gainantennas utilizing a high gain.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 240 mayenable the use of a channel or spectrum map to dynamically track inreal-time, what frequencies in the channel band are usable. For example,the environment may be sensed and a channel map, which may also bereferred to as a channel table, may be generated to identify TV,Bluetooth, WiMax, and 802.11 channels and the status of the identifiedchannels noted. The channels that are not currently usable, for exampleabove a certain noise threshold, will be avoided. The channel map isdynamically updated. A channel may be usable and unavailable, forexample, when the channel is favorable for communication but the channelis currently in use by a device. Once communication on the channelceases and the channel is clear, it status in the channel map may bemarked as usable and available. A channel may be unusable andunavailable if the channel conditions are not currently conducive tocommunication of signals and this condition has persisted for someperiod of time.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a broadband OFDM receivermay be utilized to capture the entire band and selectively begin totransmit on those channels that are deemed suitable (e.g., based on thechannel map) for transmission. Since the two devices (Tx and Rx) arerelatively close to each other, it may be safe to assume that bothdevices (Tx and Rx) are experiencing similar RF related conditions. Inthis regard, the transmitter may transmit without coordination offrequencies between the two devices.

In one embodiment of the invention, a pool of backup channels may bemaintained and as soon as a current channel degrades, a switch may bemade to utilize the backup channels. Channels may be allocated from thepool of backup channels and de-allocated and placed back in the pool asneeded. FIG. 11 provides additional details on utilizing a pool ofchannels.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in instances where theBNC/FSC enabled device 200 may coexist with an 802.11 device, theBNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be operable to sense the channel andtransmit only on channels that are determined to be clear. The channelmap may be continuously updated to ensure that the status of each of thechannels is up-to-date. A weighting may also be applied to the channel.

In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of users, each withtheir own spreading code, may concurrently transmit over a largebandwidth without any blocking. A receiver may capture the entirebandwidth and based on security settings, may select and listen to onlythose authorized user signals that may be of interest. Additionaldetails may be found, for example, in FIG. 12.

In one embodiment of the invention, the processor 240 may enablebroadcast feature based distance. For example, the characteristics of aroom such as the size and openness may be sensed and the power, datarate, and range for the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be adjusted toconform with the sensed characteristics. The BNC/FSC enabled device 200may be configured to communicate based on some threshold distance thatis sensed. In some instances, it may be desirable for all conferenceparticipants in a conference room to receive information for apresentation. In this regard, the presenter does not care who receives abroadcast signal of the presentation so long as they are within acertain range, in this case, in the room. For example, all theconference participants may be within a perimeter of 15 feet. Thebroadcast is therefore controlled so that the content for thepresentation is broadcasted to the conference participants within theconference room. In addition, beamforming and MIMO may be employed todetermine the characteristics and to optimize communication amongst thedevices.

In one embodiment of the invention, the processor 240 may provide orenable security by turning down the transmit power of the BNC/FSCenabled device 200 in order to minimize eavesdropping. In suchinstances, the containment of the power enables only devices within acertain range to receive signals and devices that are outside that rangewill not be able to receive signals. A lookup table (LUT), for example,comprising power and distance or range data may be utilized by theprocessor 240 or other device within the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 tocontrol this security feature.

In another embodiment of the invention, the processor 240 may provide orenable security by ensuring that the processing time is less than theround trip delay in order to prevent spoofing. In this regard, theprocessor 240 or other device within the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 maybe operable to determine the round trip delay. If the determined roundtrip delay is less than or equal to a certain value or threshold,communication may be permitted. However, in instances where the roundtrip delay may be greater than a particular value or threshold,communication may be blocked since this may be an indication thatspoofing may have occurred.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a conference presenter maywalk into a conference room and provide information such as the size ofthe room and the number of participants. This information may beutilized by the processor 240 to control the power and range that may beutilized to configure the BNC/FSC transceiver for use during theconference or other group presentations. In this manner, device screensand files, for example, may be shared amongst conference or groupparticipant devices.

In another aspect of the invention, a map of conference attendees in theroom may be presented and the conference may manually authorize eachattendee to receive BNC/FSC presented information.

In various embodiments of the invention, the processor 240 may enablesharing of a screen for a cell phone or other communication device withother people in a room. While applications such as WebEx are tied to theWeb, various embodiments of the instant invention comprise ad-hocsharing of content, and control and manipulation of content displayed ona screen. In this regard, there is no need for a sophisticated backendserver to facilitate the Web sharing service.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a conference presenter mayutilize BNC/FSC to share the information displayed on their tablet orcell phone screen with all team members in a conference room, eitherdirectly or in a daisy-chain manner. In this regard, the contentdisplayed on the presenter's desktop on the cell phone or a tablet willbe displayed on the screens of team members in an ad-hoc manner.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a user may decide to take apicture and instead of showing it to a friend and emailing or textingthe picture to that friend, the user may decide to share the screen thatdisplays the picture content. Unlike Webex or other screen sharingmethods, the processor 240 may enable sharing of the screens on asmartphone or tablet without using the 3 G network or Internet.Additionally, no wires need to be connected for sharing of content amongdevices.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 240 maymanage content for the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 such that the contentmay be layered, and when a user is within certain proximity of anotherBNC/FSC device, the display may be shared without the need for anysecurity. Both devices may concurrently display the same content. Aprofile may be utilized to determine what is to be shared and with whomit should be shared and when. A profile may also indicate other criteriasuch as time of day and location where sharing of the screen ispermissible. Once the profile or some default settings are established,then the sharing of the display may occur automatically without userintervention.

Since the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be a Location Aware and ContextAware device, the processor 240 may be configured to determine whetherthe environment is a friendly one and if so, no security may beutilized. On the other hand, if it determined that the environment isunfriendly, then security may be required before screens are shared. Ifthe user is with family or friends, then the screen may be sharedwithout security with devices that are within a certain range. Fordevices outside of that range, then security is required to share thescreen. A secure sharing session may be initiated with any device withthe proper security keys (public keys and private keys) or procedures inplace. A user may initiate sharing of their screen with all deviceswithin 10 feet without security. This may occur since there is enoughbandwidth to resolve the distance to within a foot or less. The distancemay be extended if the user thinks that only trusted devices will bewithin that extended range. In some instances, the user may only allow acertain number of devices to share the screen. Once that number isreached, then no more connections or sharing sessions are permitted. Ifanother device attempts to view the displayed screen, then that attemptis denied. This may be referred to as proximity sharing. With proximitysharing, the processor 240 may or may not place restriction on whetherthe screen or file may be copied and/or edited. For example, ininstances where a file of a memo is being shared, group editing may beenabled for some or all the members in the group. Members in the groupmay be given control of the document at different times to enableediting. This may also be utilized on a social environment. For example,one user may draw on their device screen and the drawing on that screenis shared among friends in the room. The friends may interact with thedrawing and may edit the document so it becomes a conversational piece.

In addition to sharing screens, videos, presentations, the processor 240may allow that files may also be shared in an ad-hoc manner without theneed to use the WWAN cellular network or a WiFi network, therebyeliminating the need to utilize and cause congestion on these networks.The cellular service providers may embrace this since it may offloadtraffic from their networks. This autonomous sharing requires noconfiguration on the part of the users.

The memory 250 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may enable storage of data and/or other information utilizedby the processor 240. For example, the memory 250 may be utilized tostore information such as available operation spectrum bands that theBNC/FSC enabled device 200 may operate, and channels in the availableoperation spectrum bands. The memory 250 may be enabled to storeexecutable instructions to manage or configure the BNC/FSC transceiver210, the Bluetooth transceiver 220, and/or the WiFi transceiver 230 fordesired behavior. The memory 250 may comprise RAM, ROM, low latencynonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronicdata storage capable of storing data and instructions.

In operation, the processor 240 may manage and control operation ofdevice components such as the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 (transmitter 210 aand receiver 210 b) and the Bluetooth transceiver 220 to communicatecorresponding radio signals for applications of interest. Transceiverssuch as the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may be enabled to utilize fullspectrum capture for data communication to support the applications ofinterest. For example, a transceiver such as the BNC/FSC transceiver 210may be enabled to digitize the entire operation spectrum band, 1 GHz,for example, for instant access to channels anywhere in the operationspectrum band. In this regard, the use of full spectrum capture mayenable the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 with total bandwidth deploymentflexibility. For example, transceivers such as the BNC/FSC transceiver210 may be tuned to an entirely different frequency in the operationspectrum band without constraint. In particular, previously unusablefrequencies in the operation spectrum band may now be applied foradditional broadband services. Additionally, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210may be tuned to either broadband or broadcast services, and the channelallocation may be changed over time allowing operators to seamlesslytransition services from broadcast to IP.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary controller, suchas a Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) controller for example,utilizing full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown acontroller 300, which may be, for example, a BNC/FSC controller. TheBNC/FSC controller 300 may comprise a transmit path 310 and a receivepath 320, which share a DSP/modem/CPU unit 330. A BNC power inductivecoupling unit 312 is coupled to a diplexer 314 such that the BNC powerinductive coupling unit 312 may be shared by the transmit path 310 andthe receive path 320 for data transmission and data receiving,respectively, over channels, Φ₁, . . . , Φ_(n), within a full spectrumband 380. In addition, the transmit path 310 may comprise variable gainamplifiers 316 a and 320 a, a transmit filter 318 a, and a DAC 322 a.The receive path 320 may comprise variable gain amplifiers 316 b and 320b, a receive filter 318 b, and an ADC 322 b.

In an exemplary operation, the BNC power inductive coupling unit 312 maycomprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may beutilized as an antenna for wireless communication operations for signaltransmission and reception through the transmit path 310 and the receivepath 320, respectively. The BNC power inductive coupling unit 312 maycomprise a single broadband near-field inductive coupling device such asa coil or an antenna or an antenna coil, for example. In some instances,the single coil may be utilized for wireless communication operationsthat are based on time-division duplexing (TDD) and/orfrequency-division duplexing (FDD). In addition to being utilized as anantenna for wireless communication operations, the single coil may beutilized for receiving charge from a charging pad, for example, to poweror operate at least a portion of the device that comprises the variouscomponents shown in FIG. 3. The coil may be communicatively coupled tocircuitry (not shown) that may be utilized to manage and/or store thereceived charge.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the coil of the BNC powerinductive coupling unit 312 may comprise a plurality of coil turns. Inthis regard, the number of coil turns that correspond to the receivepath 320 may be larger than the number of coil turns that correspond tothe transmit path 310 so as to obtain a low transmit gain and highreceive gain operation.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC power inductivecoupling unit 312 may also be equalized as part of full spectrumcapture, when used as an antenna. Unlike narrowband systems in which thesignals are narrowband compared to the characteristics of the antenna,the antenna in full spectrum capture may typically not be optimized forthe application. Since the operation for full spectrum capture may be atlower frequencies and at lower powers than other wireless technologies,antennas with poor characteristics may be utilized by equalizing thepower provided to the antenna. In this manner, the power from theantenna may be maximized without violating any Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC) constraints. A sensor may be implemented to detect orsense the impedance of the antenna across a range of frequencies. Theoutput from the sensor may be provided as feedback for digitalprocessing to enable sub-carrier equalization in order to obtain anoptimal power transfer out of the antenna. For example, at frequencieswhere the antenna performance is poor (e.g., 10% efficiency), the powermay be increased to overcome the inefficiencies. Since only a fewfrequencies may require additional power to compensate for theinefficiencies, the overall power transmitted may still be within FCCrequirements. For example, power for certain frequencies may beincreased by as much as 30 dB while the overall power transmittedremains within FCC requirements. In some instances, there may be acorrespondence between the frequencies at which the transmit antenna haspoor performance and the frequencies at which the receive antenna haspoor performance. This correspondence may be utilized for purposes ofantenna equalization. Antenna equalization may compriseover-compensation and/or under-compensation at one or more frequenciesbased on the characteristics of the transmit antenna and/or the receiveantenna.

In order to combine the phase carriers, equalization may need to beperformed. To utilize equalization, there may be known pilot symbolpatterns, which may be scattered throughout the portion of the spectrumbeing considered. The pilot symbols may be at a known phase and are notrandomized nor modulated by a data stream. The whole channel may beequalized based on these pilot symbols, which enables phase recovery. Byutilizing pilot symbols, OFDM or WCDMA techniques may be supported forthe modem portion described above. In broadcast, OFDM techniques may beutilized in which pilot symbols or pilot tones may be picked up, thepilot symbols or pilot tones being fixed or scattered and rotated overtime. WiFi on the other hand, may utilize preambles and/or pilot symbolsto enable synchronization.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, high receive gain may alsobe achieved by aiming the antenna in a particular direction. For fullspectrum capture in personal area networks, for example,omni-directional antennas for both transmit and receive operations maybe more suitable than asymmetric antennas. On the other hand, forcommunicating or penetrating across a wall for indoor dwelling or otherlike barrier, an asymmetric antenna configuration may be more suitablefor full spectrum capture since it may be preferable to receive in onedirection and not the other.

The transmission characteristics of a remote antenna or coil may berepresented and/or modeled by the block labeled area of transmission(AT), while the reception characteristics of a local antenna or coil maybe represented and/or modeled by the block labeled area of receiving(AR). In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the remote antennamay also have reception characteristics and the local antenna may alsohave transmission characteristics.

In one embodiment of the invention, synchronization may occur byutilizing a standard frequency pattern for the antenna when a lowercoding rate with more coding protection is being utilized. Once twodevices are synchronized, the devices may start a negotiation tooptimize the channel. For example, each device may provide antennaperformance information and/or channel conditions information to theother device based on an information conveyance protocol. By utilizingthe protocol information, impedance sensing, and signal processing, thechannel conditions may be identified and considered when determining thetransmit power distribution across antenna frequencies. In this regard,the devices may be operable to perform signal processing algorithms thatallow the devices to dynamically determine local and remote antennacharacteristics, and/or channel conditions or impairments, including thepresence of blockers or interferers, for example. A tracking scheme maybe implemented for exchanging channel and/or antenna characteristics,which may include a preamble, a pattern field, and/or decoding rateinformation. These operations may be performed at the PHY and/or MAClayers, for example, through the DSP/Modem/CPU unit 330.

Some of the techniques described above may be applied to overcome thepoor performance that some antennas may have over a wide spectrum. Thewide spectrum requirements of full spectrum capture are such that theratio of the lower frequencies to the higher frequencies is higher thana similar ratio for ultra-wideband (UWB), for example. As a result,antenna characteristics over the wide spectrum of full spectrum captureoperation may be continuously monitored and considered where suchoperations may not be needed for UWB.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, other wirelesstechnologies, for example, ZigBee, Bluetooth, WLAN, and WiMax, may besupported in addition to full spectrum capture. In this regard, aseparate and/or better antenna may be needed to support TDD forBluetooth, for example, at least on the receive path 320. The transmitpath 310 may be a reverse implementation of the receive path 320. InZigBee, Bluetooth, WLAN, and WiMax, there may be mixing and filteringoperations at the front end that allows the signal path to have anarrower band than full spectrum capture, which in turn may benefit froma dedicated antenna.

In an embodiment of the invention, other wireless technologies such as,for example, ZigBee, Bluetooth, WLAN, and WiMax may coexist with fullspectrum capture in the same BNC/FSC enabled device 200. In this regard,coexistence operations may be supported. Two or more receive antennasmay be utilized, each of which receives signals from different wirelesstechnologies such as, for example, ZigBee, Bluetooth, WLAN, and WiMax.Each of the received signals may be processed or filtered before theyare all combined and digitally converted for full spectrum captureoperations. In addition, utilizing device components such as the ADC 322b and/or the DAC 322 a, which require less power, may enable multimodedevices. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, multimode devicessuch as the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may utilize full spectrum captureas a single radio to support multiple modes or as a universal interfaceby having one or more of the analog components, such as the filters, forexample, be band-selectable or tunable. The data converter may still runat the appropriate rate to enable handling of the filtered data. In thisregard, the full spectrum capture may be utilized for Bluetooth, IEEE802.11, and/or WiFi communications.

In some embodiments of the invention, a delta-sigma bandpass convertermay be utilized in connection with the ADC 322 b such that the samplingmay have a transfer function that peaks at a certain frequency and dropsoff at other frequencies. By having a converter that has a band-passtransfer function and not a low-pass transfer function it, the ADC 322 bmay be configured to perform conversion operations utilizing less power.

Operating full spectrum capture at higher frequencies, such as 5 GHz or10 GHz, for example, based on an efficient ADC and/or DAC, may supportcapture or reception of IEEE 802.11 signals. The filtering andprocessing may be performed digitally. In some instances, the front-endof the full spectrum capture may be made coarsely tunable to be able toremove, in the analog domain, certain frequencies, bands, and/orunwanted intermediate data. Such an approach may provide an improvementin dynamic range. Digital signal processing may then be utilized for anyfurther filtering operations that may be needed.

In an embodiment of the invention, the full spectrum capture may beimplemented without mixers. In this regard, the data pipe may remainlarge until the data becomes digital. In addition, not having mixers infull spectrum capture may remove additional components in the transmitpath 310 and the receive path 320 that may result in a lowered dynamicrange. Distortion and/or noise performance may also be improved sincemixers are not included in the transmit path 310 and the receive path320.

The diplexer 314 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to reduce the likelihood that signaltransmission may saturate the receive path 320. The diplexer 314,however, may not be needed when very low power levels are utilized overa wide bandwidth, as may occur during full spectrum capture operations.In such instances, transmission and reception of signals may occurconcurrently without having signal transmission interfere with signalreception. In some embodiments of the invention, a switch may beutilized instead of the diplexer 314 to switch between transmission andreception in TDD communications.

The transmit filter 318 a and the receive filter 318 b may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operableto provide or perform spectral filtering to support full spectrumcapture operations. In this regard, the transmit filter 318 a and thereceive filter 318 b may be utilized to filter frequencies outside thefull spectrum capture frequency range. In some instances, thecharacteristics of the antenna (e.g., coil) may be such that it mayperform filtering functions and, in those instances, transmit and/orreceive filters may not be needed.

The DAC 322 a and the ADC 322 b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to perform Digital to Analogdata generation or conversion and Analog to Digital data collections,respectively. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the DAC 322 aand the ADC 322 b may be operable to perform high speeddigital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion, respectively. Inthis regard, the DAC 322 a and the ADC 322 b may be operable at veryhigh speeds to enable full spectrum capture. The digital signalsproduced by the ADC 322 b and received by the DAC 322 a may be referredto as digital baseband signals. The DAC 322 a and the ADC 322 b may becommunicatively coupled to the DSP/modem/CPU unit 330.

The various variable gain amplifiers 316 a and 320 a, and 316 b and 320b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces thatmay be operable to have the gain that may be applied by the variablegain amplifier 316 a, for example, to an input signal be programmable orcontrolled. One or more of the variable gain amplifiers in the transmitpath 310 may comprise power amplifiers, while one or more of thevariable gain amplifiers in the receive path 320 may comprise low-noiseamplifiers. The various variable gain amplifiers 316 a and 320 a, and316 b and 320 b may be operable to handle low levels of power spreadover a wide bandwidth to support full spectrum capture operations.

The DSP/Modem/CPU unit 330 may comprise circuitry that may comprise adigital signal processor (DSP) portion 332, a modulator-demodulator(modem) portion 334, and/or a central processing unit (CPU) 336. The DSPportion 332 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/orinterfaces that may be operable to clean up signals. For example, theDSP portion 332 may be operable to perform channel selection and/orfiltering, digital scaling, and/or rate conversion. The rate conversionor sample rate conversion may be performed utilizing variable rateinterpolators. For example, a 13.5 Megahertz (MHz) signal that isreceived may be interpolated down to a 13.3 MHz signal during rateconversion operations.

The modem portion 334 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code,and/or interfaces that may be operable to perform synchronization,equalization and/or demapping, and/or channel encoding when processingreceived signals. The channel decoder may utilize a concatenated codesuch as an inner code and an outer code. An example of such aconcatenated code may comprise a low-density parity-check (LDPC) codefollowed by a Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code. The channel decodermay utilize a concatenated code that comprises a Viterbi code, forexample. The modem portion 334 may also be operable to perform channelencoding and/or equalization, and/or mapping when processing signals fortransmission. During transmission, synchronization is typically notneeded. The operation of the modem portion 334 may be implemented usingan orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) approach or anapproach based on code division multiple access (CDMA).

The CPU portion 336 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/orinterfaces that may be operable to support MAC layer and/or Link layeroperations for full spectrum capture. The MAC layer may support theability to share the medium, which utilizing full spectrum captureallows the medium to be shared with fewer collision type issues. Forexample, when everyone is sending less than the full bandwidth (e.g., 1GHz), the operation may be easier than if everyone is trying to sendclose to the full bandwidth, in which case some form of negotiationbetween devices may be supported by the MAC layer.

The MAC layer and the Link layer enable access sharing, which may useOFDM techniques or some form of CDMA as described above. Simple CDMAtechniques may also be used. For CDMA-like operations, low-powermultiple phase carriers may be sent, such as 8 k, 10 k, 12 k, 32 k, or64 k, for example. Each of the phase carriers may have a random phase.When the random phase is known, a scan or search may be performed forthose known phase carriers. In some instances, there may be one or morepreset channels for each search. Since the power utilized in fullspectrum capture is typically very low, the search or scan goes througheach of the channels. If the different phase carriers are combined, itmay be possible to obtain a significant coding or dispreading gain. OFDMtechniques may provide, at least in some instances, an approach in whichsome of the sub-channels may be left out or left unused, especially whenit is known that those channels may have some form of interference. Forexample, it may be preferable not to transmit in certain channels thatare known to be dead and/or where it may be preferable to ignoreinformation from a channel that has noise and is likely to degrade theperformance of the combined signal.

In some embodiments of the invention, the spectral bandwidthcorresponding to full spectrum capture operations may extend to afrequency (e.g., f_(FSC)) of approximately 1 Gigahertz (GHz), forexample. The full spectrum capture spectral bandwidth may depend on thefrequency of operation of the ADC 322 b and/or of the DAC 322 a. If theADC 322 b and/or the DAC 322 a is operable to capture 10 GHz ofbandwidth, for example, full spectrum capture at or near 10 GHz may beperformed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSC enabled device200 may comprise one or more other receive paths 321 a-321 n in additionto the receive path 320 with full spectrum capture. In this regard, theone or more other receive paths 321 a-321 n may comprise components forhandling received signals via WiFi, WiMax, ZigBee, RFID, and/orBluetooth. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, when supportingadditional wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth and/or WiFi, forexample, a portion of the receive path 320 with full spectrum capturemay be coupled to the one or more other receive paths 321 a-321 n. Inother words, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be configured to utilizedifferent RF front ends to support communication via additional wirelesstechnologies. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSCenabled device 200 may be configured to utilize a single RF front end tohandle communication via BNC/FSC, WiFi, WiMax, ZigBee, RFID, BNC andBluetooth.

In one embodiment of the invention, a device such as the BNC/FSC enableddevice 200 may support a processing path for full spectrum capture andanother processing path for narrowband communication. The device may beoperable to switch between the two based on the operation of the BNC/FSCenabled device 200. Moreover, when switching to the narrowbandcommunication processing path, the amount of power under considerationmay drop from the amount of power being handled by the full spectrumcapture processing path. The narrowband communication processing pathmay share some components with the full spectrum capture processing pathsuch as low-noise amplifiers 316 a, 316 b, 320 a and 320 b.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary implementationfor a controller, such as a Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC)controller for example, that utilizes a tunable notch filter in areceive path with full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there isshown a controller 400, which may be a hybrid BNC/FSC controller. Thehybrid BNC/FSC controller 400 may comprise a transmit path 410, areceive path 420, and a DSP/Modem/CPU unit 430. In addition, thetransmit path 410 may comprise a variable gain amplifier 416 and a DAC418. The receive path 420 may comprise a variable gain amplifier 426, atunable notch filter 427, and an ADC 428. The transmit path 410 and thereceive path 420 may be coupled to the same antenna 412 through atransmit-receive (T/R) switch 414. In this regard, the variable gainamplifiers 416 in the transmit path 410 may be turned off duringreceive, and the variable gain amplifiers 426 in the receive path 420may be turned off during transmit. The antenna 412, the variable gainamplifiers 416 and 426, the DAC 418 and the ADC 428 may be similar tothe BNC power inductive coupling unit 312, the variable gain amplifiers316 b, 320 a, the DAC 322 a, and the ADC 322 b of FIG. 3, respectively.

The T/R switch 414 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to switch between transmit and receive.In some embodiments of the invention, the T/R switch 414 may bepositioned or placed between the variable gain amplifier 426 and thetunable notch filter 427 in the receive path 420. In some instances,since the power being transmitted may be low enough, the T/R switch 414may not be needed.

The tunable notch filter 427 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,code, and/or interfaces that may be operable to reject a blocker orinterference signal. The blockers may be strong and saturate the ADC428. In this regard, the tunable notch filter 427 may be utilized toremove the strongest blocker. The tunable notch filter 427 may beimplemented on-board or on-chip, for example. For high frequencies, thetunable notch filter 427 may be on-chip, and for low frequencies, it maybe off-chip. While the tunable notch filter 427 may affect thefrequencies that are adjacent to the frequency being removed, the fullspectrum capture spectrum overall may not be significantly affectedbecause of the broadband nature of full spectrum capture. Sensingcircuitry may be utilized to detect the strong blockers and providefeedback to adjust the frequency of the tunable notch filter 427.

The receive path 420 may also comprise a preamble detector 431, atime-domain filter 432, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) block 434, achannel equalizer (CE) 436, a symbol to bit demapper 438, and/or aforward error correction (FEC) block 440. The preamble detector 431 maycomprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may beoperable to detect OFDM symbols in time domain from time domain samplesfrom the tunable notch filter 427. The time-domain filter 432 maycomprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may beoperable to reject strong blocker signals. The FFT block 434 maycomprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may beoperable to perform Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) over OFDM symbols fromthe time domain filter 432. The FFT block 434 may be operable to converttime domain samples of the OFDM symbols to corresponding frequencydomain samples for frequency domain channel equalization via the CE 436.The CE 436 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/orinterfaces that may be operable to provide channel equalization forfrequency bands of interest utilizing frequency domain samples suppliedfrom the FFT block 434. The symbol to bit demapper 438 may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may be operableto perform bit-loading configuration.

The transmit path 410 may also comprise a bit to symbol mapper 433, asub-carrier mapper 435, an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) block437, and/or a preamble insertion block 439. The bit to symbol mapper 433may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that maybe operable to perform symbol-loading configuration. The sub-carriermapper 435 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code, and/orinterfaces that may be operable to map sub-carriers to avoid regulatedfrequencies. The avoidance of regulated frequencies may be binary orgraduated. The IFFT block 437 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to perform Inverse FastFourier Transform (IFFT) over frequency domain samples of OFDM symbolsfrom the sub-carrier mapper 435. The IFFT block 437 may be operable toconvert frequency domain samples of the OFDM symbols to correspondingtime domain samples. The preamble insertion block 439 may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may be operableto insert a preamble into time domain samples from the IFFT block 437 ina manner that deals with frequency avoidance.

Although OFDM-based implementation is illustrated for full spectrumcapture, the invention may not be so limited. Accordingly, otherwireless technologies such as CDMA technology and WCDMA (spread spectrumapproach) technology may also be utilized for full spectrum capturewithout departing from the spirit and scope of various embodiments ofthe invention.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, on the receive path 420,the variable gain amplifier 426, as a LNA typically drives the very fastADC 428 in order to achieve full spectrum capture performance. The fullspectrum capture operations may be typically used with packet-basedsystems. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the full spectrumcapture operations may comprise having a MAC layer picking whichfrequency bands are to be used and coordinating that information withthe device front-end. The MAC layer may also determine and/or coordinatebit loading, for example. In this regard, the MAC layer may determinewhich frequencies have good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and which onesdo not, and may allocate more bits to the ones with good SNR than tothose with lower SNR.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, on the transmit path 410,there may be frequency ranges in which the full spectrum capture may notwant to transmit. For example, the full spectrum capture may beexplicitly prohibited by regulatory rules from transmitting in certainfrequencies. In another example, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 maysense that a television channel is being used and may not want totransmit in that frequency. As described above, the avoidance of certainfrequencies may be implemented in a binary or graduated fashion. Forexample, in a binary case, transmission at a certain frequency or notemay be ON or OFF. For the graduated case, the power level of thetransmitted signal may be based on how strong other signals are in thatsame frequency. For example, the power level may be stronger fortransmission at the frequency of the television channel when the signalstrength of the television channel is low, which may indicate that thesignal is far away.

To start communication between two devices, a time reference may beestablished and there may be an agreement about which frequencies are tobe utilized. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, various waysin which synchronization may be supported may be utilized by the hybridBNC/FSC controller 400. For example, the hybrid BNC/FSC controller 400that supports full spectrum capture may awake and look for preambles orbeacons of some sort. This approach may consume a lot of power. Inanother example, both sides, that is, the two peer devices that are tocommunicate, look at one or more pulse per second (PPS) signals used inglobal positioning systems (GPS). When any one device wakes up, it maybe realigned based on a PPS signal. In some instances, the PPS signalthat may be utilized for synchronization is from another device that isnearby. This type of synchronization may occur even when there is a lotof drift and/or when there is some degree of inaccuracy with the PPSsignal. In some embodiments of the invention, there may be an indicationreceived or generated by the device of how accurate the PPS signal is inorder to determine whether the PPS signal is suitable forsynchronization.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the hybrid BNC/FSCcontroller 400 may utilize unlicensed bands to establishsynchronization. In this regard, synchronization information may also beprovided in an unlicensed band, such as the cordless region 450, forexample, between 917 MHz and 950 MHz. The hybrid BNC/FSC controller 400may look into this region of the spectrum to find synchronizationinformation. Similarly, frequencies down at around 27 MHz (e.g.,frequencies for operation of garage door openers) 460 may be utilized bydevices looking for synchronization information.

In some embodiments of the invention, the two peer devices looking tosynchronize may operate based on an established agreement on timeregarding how long to look for a neighbor to synchronize. Sincesynchronization may take some time at relatively large power levels,looking for a neighbor for a long period of time may result in powerbeing drained from the searching device.

In an embodiment of the invention, preset OFDM symbols with randomizedphases may be utilized in a correlation operation to enablesynchronization with another device. With OFDM enabled, when a preambleis utilized, the preamble may typically cover the entire frequency band.The preamble may need to be changed to avoid certain frequencies asdetermined by regulatory rules and/or operating conditions. The preamblemay then be implemented before the FFT block 434 in the receive path420. Both sides may need to be aware of the preamble characteristics inorder to enable communication between them.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the full spectrum capturemay provide very short duty cycles for low power. In this regard, FCCintermittent burst allows for the transmission, at the packet level, ofmuch higher power during short burst. The amount of power that isprovided may be based on the frequency.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary center tapantenna that is utilized for full spectrum capture (FSC) in, forexample, Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there isshown a center tap antenna 500. The center tap antenna 500 may bedesigned or implemented such that the impedance circuitry and thevoltage circuitry may be directly coupled to the center tapping of thewhole coil (antenna).

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates exemplary steps for devicepairing and security in, for example, Broadband Near Field Communication(BNC) utilizing full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, in step 602,a BNC/FSC enabled device such as the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 ispowered on. The exemplary steps start in step 604, where the BNC/FSCenabled device 200 may be operable to detect peer devices over BNC linkutilizing full spectrum capture. For example, the BNC/FSC enabled device200 may monitor signals or messages received via the BNC power inductivecoupling unit 312 for device-identifying reference information such as aMAC-ID, MSN or a peer address in the communication network, where thepairing takes place. In step 606, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 maydetermine whether peer BNC/FSC enabled devices are detected over a BNClink. In instances where one or more peer BNC/FSC enabled devices aredetected, then in step 608, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may determinewhether it touches or nearly touches the detected peer BNC/FSC enableddevices. In instances where the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 touches ornearly touches the detected peer BNC/FSC enabled devices, then in step610, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may bypass security request. Inother words, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may not exchange orcommunicate security information with the detected peer BNC/FSC enableddevices. The security information may comprise user account names andlogo, password, PIN number and other credentials, security categories,encryption keys, cryptographic keys, an authentication value andsequence number, signatures to be included, digital certificates, sourceIP address, destination IP address, and/or port numbers.

In step 612, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be operable to establishpairing with each of the detected peer BNC/FSC enabled devices over aBNC link using full spectrum capture. The pairing may comprise neartouch pairing, wave to pairing and gesture pairing. Touch or near touchpairing refers to pairing the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 with a peerBNC/FSC enabled device by simply touching or near touching the twoBNC/FSC enabled devices to be paired or connected to the network. Waveto pair enables the pairing of two BNC/FSC enabled devices when they arewithin certain proximity of each other, for example, ¼ of a wavelengthof each other. In this regard, one device may be waved next to the otherwithin the distance of ¼ wavelength to accomplish pairing. In oneembodiment of the invention, the waving may have to occur in a specificmanner or pattern to effectively pair the two BNC/FSC enabled devices.If the waving is not done in that specific manner or pattern, then nopairing is done and the devices may not communicate with each other orwill not communicate secure information with each other. This is done,for example, to avoid unintended pairings based simply on proximity incrowded environments. This signature for waving or waving in aparticular pattern may be referred to as gesture or signature pairing.In this regard, the device would not only need to be within certainproximity, but also would need to be moved or waived in a pre-definedmanner, during which the devices are brought into such proximity. TheBNC/FSC enabled devices may take advantage of existingmotion/directional devices, such as a gyroscope, to capture a uniquegesture or signature for each user, and only pair the communicationdevice if that gesture or signature is detected during a proximityevent.

In step 614, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may mutually shareapplications, multimedia content or files, and device components such asdisplay with the detected peer BNC/FSC enabled devices. In this regard,sharing of the display, multimedia content or files may occur among theBNC/FSC enabled device 200 and the detected peer BNC/FSC enabled devicesregardless of who is receiving the display content. For example, a userof BNC/FSC enabled device 200 at a mall may take a picture and share thescreen, which displays the picture, with all their friends who arestanding there. In this regard, the user is not concerned whethersomeone is eavesdropping and is viewing the picture. The BNC/FSC enableddevice 200 may be controlled so the signals are not communicated beyonda certain range.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a secure communicationsession may be established for paired devices based on proximity. Inthis regard, devices may be excluded from the secure communicationsession if they are located outside that proximity.

In step 606, in instances where no peer BNC/FSC enabled device isdetected, then the exemplary steps return to step 604.

In step 608, in instances where the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 does nottouch or near touch the detected peer BNC/FSC enabled devices, then instep 616, where the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may exchange securityinformation with the detected peer devices over BNC link. In step 618,the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may determine whether the securityinformation from the detected peer devices is correct. In instanceswhere the received security information is correct, then exemplaryprocess continues in step 612. Otherwise the exemplary steps return tostep 604.

FIG. 7 a flow chart illustrating exemplary distance-based pairing ofdevices, such as BNC/FSC devices for example, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there isshown a distance-based pairing 700. In various exemplary embodiments ofthe inventions, a sliding scale may be utilized for secured pairing. Inthis regard, the two BNC/FSC enabled devices that are to be paired maybe placed very close to each other and their power may be controlled tothe point where they may just hear each other and thus may not be heardby any other listening device. At that point, security information suchas keys may be exchanged and the two devices paired using full spectrumcapture. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, depending ondistance between the two BNC/FSC enabled devices, different levels ofsecurity may be applied for pairing. In this regard, pairing may occurat varying distances. The closer together the two BNC/FSC enableddevices are, the lesser the security that is needed. On the other hand,the further apart two BNC/FSC enabled devices are, the greater thesecurity that is needed for pairing. For example, if the two BNC/FSCenabled devices, between 0 and A, are touching or near touching, then nosecurity request is needed. In other words, users of the two BNC/FSCenabled devices do not care whether the content is communicated withoutsecurity, so long as the communication occurs and/or occurs within acertain range (between 0 and A). If the two BNC/FSC enabled devices,between A and B, are near touching, then a first security scheme may beutilized. If the two BNC/FSC enabled devices are between B and C, 5 cmapart, for example, a second security scheme may be utilized, where thesecond security scheme may be stronger than the first security scheme.If the two BNC/FSC enabled devices are between B and C, 20 cm apart, forexample, a third security scheme may be utilized, where the thirdsecurity scheme may be stronger than the second and the first securityschemes. If the two BNC/FSC enabled devices are beyond D, greater than100 cm, for example, no pairing may be allowed.

A security scheme may comprise data categories that may be communicatedbetween the two BNC/FSC enabled devices. In an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, the two BNC/FSC enabled devices may be operable tocommunicate secure data only when the two BNC/FSC enabled devices arelocated at a certain distance. For example, the two BNC/FSC enableddevices may only communicate data when they are located at one meter orless apart. If the two BNC/FSC enabled devices are located at a distancegreater than one meter, they may communicate only non-secure data. Ifthe two BNC/FSC enabled devices are located more than 2 meters apart,then they may not communicate at all. The two BNC/FSC enabled devicesmay only know the channel between the two BNC/FSC enabled devices andboth devices share the same spectrum.

Another embodiment of the invention may also provide a layered approachfor data communication between the two BNC/FSC enabled devices. In thisregard, data may be assigned to a particular layer and only data that isin a particular layer may be communicated based on the distance. A datatype may specify what kind of data is in each particular layer. Forexample, secure data in layer 1 may only be communicated when bothdevices are less than ½ meter apart. Non-secure data in layer 2 may onlybe communicated in instances when both devices are less than or equal to1.5 meters apart. Non-secure data in layer 3 may only be communicated ininstances when both devices are less than or equal to 2 meters apart.Non-secure data in layer 4 may only be communicated in instances whenboth devices are less than or equal to 2.0 meters apart, and so on.

Devices may be identified by, for example, MAC addresses. If a known ortrusted device is within a certain range, then communication may bepermitted with little or no security based on the device identity.However, once the trusted device is out of range, then security may berequired to facilitate communication. For example, a successfulchallenge may be required for communication to occur.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that illustrates exemplary steps forpositioning an object using, for example, Broadband Near FieldCommunication (BNC) with full spectrum capture (FSC), in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, in step802, a BNC/FSC enabled device 800(a) is powered on to determine theposition of an object, for example, a BNC/FSC enabled device 800(b),within its vicinity. Also, within the vicinity of the BNC/FSC enableddevice 800(a), there may be one or more other BNC/FSC enabled deviceswith known positions. The one or more other BNC/FSC enabled devices maycomprise access points (APs), RFID tags, and other BNC/FSC enableddevices within the vicinity of the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(a). In anexemplary embodiment of the invention, hybrid BNC/FSC solutions may beutilized to give or provide a more precise location of an object withoutrelying on received signal strength. A duty cycle burst of low powerenergy over a large bandwidth may be utilized to determine the range orposition of an object or person. In this regard, the hybrid BNC/FSCsolutions may be utilized to tell whether an object may have been movedfrom its current location by, for example, 2 centimeters. This distancemay vary based on the BNC/FSC configuration. This may be utilized totrack, for example, high value items including laptops, personaleffects, assets and so on. Persons may also be tracked in a similarmanner.

A BNC/FSC enabled device 800(a) may possess the capability tocommunicate with a plurality of other BNC/FSC enabled devices 800(b),800(c) and 800(d) within the vicinity. In this regard, a stolen laptopor tablet with BNC/FSC capability may be operable to send an alert ordistress signal to any of a plurality of neighboring devices. The alertor distress signal may comprise a location of the devices. Accordingly,the stolen laptop or tablet may be traced and recovered using any of aplurality of location determining mechanisms such as relative positionwith respect to other devices with known locations, for example, accesspoints (APs), RFID tags, and other BNC/FSC devices, with known locationsuch as from an integrated GPS or location based on triangulation. ABNC/FSC enabled device may function as an indoor positioning device.

The exemplary steps start in step 804, where the BNC/FSC enabled device800(a) may be operable to perform ranging to determine correspondingranges of the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(b), and the one or more otherBNC capable devices with known positions using BNC links with fullspectrum capture. For example, parameters r_(ab), r_(ac), and r_(ad) mayrepresent the determined ranges for the BNC/FSC enabled devices 800(b),800(c) and 800(d) with respect to the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(a),respectively.

In step 806, the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(a) may determine relativelocations of the object (the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(b)) with respectto the known locations of the one or more other BNC/FSC enabled devices800(c) and 800(d) utilizing BNC with full spectrum capture. In step 808,the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(a) may determine the location of theobject (the BNC/FSC enabled device 800(b)) utilizing the determinedranges and the determined relative locations. In step 810, the BNC/FSCenabled device 800(a) may utilize the determined location of the objectto support various use cases such as track the object (the BNC/FSCenabled device 800(b)) based on the determined location of the object.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a BNC/FSC device may alsotether itself to a fixed device such as a fixed access point and as auser of the BNC/FSC device walks through a mall or store, location maybe determined. As soon as some distance is exceeded, then an alarm oralert may be initiated by an application running on a smartphone ortablet. As the BNC/FSC device moves away and the tether is broken, a newtether maybe formed with another device. This may be utilized to track,for example, criminals, child molesters, and predators, as they movearound. GPS or other GNSS technology may also be utilized to pinpointlocation as movement is being tracked.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an open tether may beutilized to enable in-building navigation of humans and/or objects. Thespeed and/or velocity of the BNC/FSC device may also be used todetermine its location or relative location with respect to otherdevices. The Doppler from other surrounding sources may be utilized todetermine the velocity.

A BNC/FSC device may operate as location aware and context aware device.In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, BNC/FSC devices may beoperable to sense the environment. A map of BNC/FSC devices within aparticular area may be generated and displayed. The map may be part ofan application that is displayed on smartphones or tablets. For example,kids may view the map to determine which ones of their friends may be atthe mall. A BNC/FSC device may be able to determine whether it is in aroom, such as an office, as opposed to being in an auditorium. Thisinformation may be combined with GPS information to provide a moreprecise determination of the environment. The BNC/FSC device may bescaled based on the type of application and also based on the perimeterand surroundings where it is located.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a file may be shared withconference participants in a conference room. The file may be opened andviewed by every participant in the room. However, if a participantleaves the conference room, then a lock is placed on the document andthe document may no longer be viewed. If that participant re-enters theroom, the document will again be viewable.

With a sufficiently high SNR, location may be resolved within a fractionof a wavelength, which translates to within a foot or less at 1 GHz.

In one embodiment of the invention, two BNC/FSC devices may beelectronically tethered. The moment one of the devices moves out of acertain range of the other device, authentication or re-authenticationmay be required. The level of authentication required may vary dependingof the distance of the two devices.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, user A is streaming a moviefrom their smartphone to a HD TV using BNC/FSC. User A's kids arecurrently watching this movie on the HD TV. User A gets up to take acall on the smartphone and starts moving away from the HD TV. As user Amoves away from the HD TV, the bandwidth for the connection may decreaseand the quality of the movie may start to deteriorate. User A may reacha point where a security issue arises because an unauthorized device maybe able to pick up the streamed movie signal. When this occurs, the linkmay be dropped or user A may be requested to re-authenticate using astronger key.

Wireless tethering may be provided for objects and/or persons. In thisregard, BNC/FSC may enable the location of objects, animals and persons.For example, BNC/FSC may be utilized to determine whether a child is outof range without the need to measure and compare received signalstrength. For devices, while they are tethered, there may be no need toauthenticate. However, once the tether is broken, authentication mayautomatically be required.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, BNC/FSC devices may be usedas a gaming controller since the resolution in position may be adjustedwith fair accuracy. For example, three (3) BNC/FSC devices may beutilized and triangulation may be utilized to determine a position of aperson or a body part such as a hand relative to the BNC/FSC devices.BNC/FSC sensors may also be place on the gamer's body to aid in moreaccurately determining the location of a person or the person's hand,for example.

Accelerometer and/or gyroscope information for devices may be sharedamong a plurality of BNC/FSC devices and utilized to assist with thegaming control or other interactive events. Limiting the number ofparticipants to a communication session may provide additional security.For example, the number of participants may be limited to 5 and if a 6thperson enters the room, connection is denied.

In various exemplary aspects of the method and system for broadbandnear-field communication utilizing full spectrum capture, acommunication device such as the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may comprisean integrated BNC/FSC transceiver 210 operating in a frequency spectrumband. The BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be operable to detect usablechannels within the entire frequency spectrum band. The BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may utilize one or more of the detected channels towirelessly communicate multimedia content with one or more other BNCenabled devices such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c). In anexemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200may be operable to pair with the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c)utilizing BNC protocols. In this regard, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 maybe configured with various security levels during the pairing, asillustrated in FIG. 8. The security levels may be determined based oncorresponding distances between the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 and theBNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c). The BNC/FSC transceiver 210 mayutilize the determined security levels to communicate the multimediacontent with the BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c). Depending ondevice capabilities, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may support otherwireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee, andWiMAX. In some instances, the Bluetooth transceiver 220 may need to pairwith other Bluetooth and BNC capable devices 110(a)-110(c), for example.In this regard, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210 may be enabled to exchangeauthentication information over an BNC link so as to expedite pairingthe Bluetooth transceiver 220 with other Bluetooth and BNC capabledevices 110(a)-110(c). After the BNC based pairing, the BNC/FSC enableddevice 200 may utilize Bluetooth protocols via the Bluetooth transceiver220 to communicate multimedia content with other Bluetooth and BNCcapable devices 110(a)-110(c). In an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be configured to share themultimedia content with other BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(a)-110(c). Forexample, when a BNC/FSC device 110(a) is within certain proximity of theBNC/FSC device 200, the BNC/FSC device 200 may share its display withthe BNC/FSC device 110(a) such that the two BNC/FSC enabled devices 200and 110(a) may share and display the same multimedia content.

The BNC/FSC enabled devices 200 and 110(a)-110(c) may be configured toutilize full spectrum capture in order to detect usable channels andaggregate the usable channels to increase channel bandwidth for the datatransmission. In one embodiment of the invention, for transmission, thedata transmission may be carried or transmitted over a single detectedchannel within the operating frequency spectrum band. However, forreception, multiple reference elements or signals such as pilot signalsmay be utilized to determine or detect which of channels in theoperating frequency spectrum band may be indeed usable.

In order to receive signals from the BNC/FSC enabled devices110(a)-110(c), the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may be operable toestablish synchronization with the BNC/FSC enabled devices110(a)-110(c). In this regard, the BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may beconfigured to utilize unlicensed bands to establish synchronization. Inother words, synchronization information may also be provided in anunlicensed band, such as the cordless region 450, for example, between917 MHz and 950 MHz. The BNC/FSC enabled device 200 may look into thisregion of the frequency spectrum band to find synchronizationinformation.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the BNC/FSC transceiver 210may be utilized to provide a more precise location of an object such asthe BNC/FSC enabled device 110(a). In this regard, the BNC/FSCtransceiver 210 may perform ranging to determine corresponding ranges ofthe BNC/FSC enabled device 110(a), and the one or more other BNC capabledevices with known positions such as the BNC/FSC enabled devices110(b)-110(c) using BNC links with full spectrum capture. The BNC/FSCenabled device 200 may determine relative locations of the object (theBNC/FSC enabled device 110(a)) with respect to the known locations ofthe one or more other BNC/FSC enabled devices 110(b) and 110(c)utilizing BNC with full spectrum capture. The BNC/FSC enabled device 200may determine the location of the object (the BNC/FSC enabled device110(a)) utilizing the determined ranges and the determined relativelocations.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, there is provided acommunication device comprising an integrated broadband transceiver,wherein the integrated broadband transceiver is operable to communicatesignals at a power level that is below a spurious emissions mask and tospread the communicated signals over a designated frequency spectrumband. The integrated broadband transceiver may be operable to detectusable channels within the designated frequency spectrum band. Thedetected usable channels may be aggregated and utilized for thecommunicating. The communication device comprising the integratedbroadband transceiver may be viewed as a ultrawideband (UWB) system,without a carrier frequency, with the capability to go down to 0 Hz orDC, or substantially 0 Hz or DC. In other words, this may be viewed as awireless receiver with no downconversion steps prior toanalog-to-digital conversion. A minimum bandwidth may be established.For example, a minimum bandwidth such as approximately 500 MHz may beestablished. In another embodiment of the invention, the power dividedby the bandwidth of the system may be, on average, below a particularlimit.

The integrated broadband transceiver is operable to wirelesslycommunicate content with one or more other integrated broadbandtransceiver enabled devices over one or more of the detected channels.The one or more other integrated broadband transceiver enabled devicesare operable to communicate signals at a power level that is below thespurious emissions mask and to spread the communicated signals over theentire designated frequency spectrum band.

The integrated broadband transceiver may be paired with the one or moreother integrated broadband transceiver enabled devices utilizing one ormore broadband near-field communication (BNC) protocols. The integratedbroadband transceiver may be configured with security levels during thepairing. The security levels may be determined based on correspondingdistances between the integrated broadband transceiver and the one ormore other integrated broadband transceiver enabled devices.

The content may be communicated with the one or more other integratedbroadband transceiver enabled devices based on the selected securitylevels utilizing the one or more BNC protocols. The content may also becommunicated with the one or more other integrated broadband transceiverenabled devices based on the selected security levels utilizing one ormore supported non-BNC protocols. The content may be shared with the oneor more other integrated broadband transceiver enabled devices duringthe communicating.

The signals received from the one or more other integrated broadbandtransceiver enabled devices during the communicating may besynchronized. A range of the one or more other integrated broadbandtransceiver enabled devices may be determined utilizing the BNCprotocols. A corresponding position of the one or more other broadbandtransceiver enabled devices may be identified based on the determinedrange.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingutilizing Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with full spectrumcapture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown exemplary steps 902through 930. In step 902, the BNC/FSC device may scan the designatedfrequency band. The entire designated frequency band may be scanned sothat previously unused frequencies may be detected and deployed forbroadband services with the use of full spectrum capture. In step 904,the BNC/FSC device may generate a channel table with channels based onthe scan and mark each of the channels with a default status. In otherwords, the BNC/FSC device is operable to scan the designated frequencyband and generate a channel table of the channels found in thedesignated frequency band. The channels in the channel table may bemarked with a status such as usable, unusable, available and/orunavailable.

In step 906, the channels in the channel table may be scanned. In thisregard, the channels in the channel table may be scanned to acquire oneor more parameters such as SNR, BER, PER, received signal strengthindicator (RSSI) in order to determined a current status of the channel.In step 908, the current parameters for the channels in the channeltable may be updated based on the scanning, which is done in step 906.In step 910, based on the scan and the current channel parameters, thestatus of the channels in the channel table may be updated to indicatewhether the channel is usable, available, unusable and/or unavailable.

In step 912, it may be determined whether data may be ready to betransmitted. If in step 912, data is not ready to be transmitted, thenin step 912, the exemplary steps proceed to step 906, where the channelsin the channel table are scanned. If in step 912, data is ready to betransmitted, then in step 914, a channel is selected that will enabletransmission in conformance with regulatory requirements. In step 916,the status of the selected channel in the channel table may be marked asusable but unavailable. In step 918, the transmitter in the BNC/FSCdevice may be configured to transmit on the selected channel inaccordance with the regulatory requirements.

In step 920, the BNC/FSC device may be operable to transmit data on theselected channel. For example, the transmitter in the BNC/FSC device maybe operable to transmit the data as broadband signals that occupy, forexample, a 800 MHz range of a frequency band of approximately 0 Hz to 1GHz. The wireless broadband signals may be spread over, for example, a300 MHz bandwidth of the 800 MHz range. In step 922, the BNC/FSC devicemay be operable to determine whether the channel was acceptable fortransmission. For example, a receiver, which is paired with the BNC/FSCdevice and receives the transmitted broadband wireless signals, may beoperable to feedback parameters of the received broadband wirelesssignal such as packet error rate (PER), bit error rate (BER), signal tonoise ratio (SNR), signal to interference noise ratio (SINR), carrier tonoise ratio (CNR), carrier to interference noise ratio (CINR) andreceived signal strength indication (RSSI).

If in step 922, the selected channel was acceptable for transmission,then in step 924, the selected channel is marked in the channel table asusable and available. Exemplary step 906 may be executed subsequent tostep 924. If in step 922, the selected channel was not acceptable fortransmission, then in step 926, the BNC/FSC device may be operable todetermine whether the channel was unacceptable for transmission for sometime. If in step 926, the channel was unacceptable for transmission forsome time, then in step 928, the selected channel may be marked in thechannel table as unusable and unavailable. Exemplary step 906 may beexecuted subsequent to step 928. If in step 926, the selected channelwas not unacceptable, that is, the selected channel was acceptable, fortransmission for some time, then in step 930, the selected channel maybe marked in the channel table as usable and unavailable. Exemplary step906 may be executed subsequent to step 930.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingdata utilizing Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with fullspectrum capture (FSC), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown exemplary steps 1002through 1016. In step 1002, data is ready for transmission by theBNC/FSC device. In step 1004, channels may be selected from the channeltable. In step 1006, a plurality of selected channels may be aggregated.In step 1008, data may be spread across the aggregated channel(s). Instep 1010, the transmitter in the BNC/FSC device may be configured tomeet the regulatory requirements when transmitting. In step 1012, thetransmitter in the BNC/FSC device may be operable to sense theaggregated channel to ensure they are still available. The sensing ofthe channel determines whether or not a channel is clear. If a channelis clear based on the sensing, then the channel may be utilized fortransmission. In step 1014, the transmitter in the BNC/FSC device mayestablish synchronization with the paired device. In step 1016, thetransmitter in the BNC/FSC device may transmit the data on theaggregated channel(s) to the paired device.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingdata utilizing Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC) with fullspectrum capture (FSC) using a pool of channels, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 11, there isshown exemplary steps 1102 through 1130. In step 1102, the designatedfrequency band may be scanned. In step 1104, a list of channels may begenerated and placed in a channel table based on the scan. In step 1106,the channels listed in the channel table may be scanned andcorresponding channel parameters such as BER, PER, SNR, SINR, and CINRmay be acquired. In step 1108, the best channels may be selected fromthe list of channels in the channel table based on the channelparameters that were acquired during the scanning in step 1106. In step1110, a plurality of the best channels may be selected and placed inpool of channels. In step 1112, channel parameters for the channels inthe pool of channels may be dynamically updated.

In step 1114, the pool of channels may be shared with one or more paireddevices that may be within operating range. Since the BNC/FSC device andthe paired devices are in close proximity with each other, it may beassumed that the channel conditions experienced by the BNC/FSC deviceand the paired devices are substantially similar. Accordingly, the poolof channels may be shared with the paired device so that the paireddevice may utilize the channels in the pool of channels whencommunicating with the BNC/FSC device.

In step 1116, when data is ready to be transmitted, one or more channelsmay be allocated from the pool of channels. For example, the channelswith the best channel parameters that will satisfy regulatoryrequirements may be selected.

In step 1118, a plurality of the allocated channels may be aggregated asneeded to transmit the data. In step 1120, the transmitter (Tx) in theBNC/FSC device's front end may be configured to communicate inaccordance with regulatory requirements. In step 1122, synchronizationmay be established with the paired device. In step 1124, the allocatedone or more aggregated and/or non-aggregated channels may be sensed todetermine whether they are clear and thus available for transmission. Instep 1126, the transmitter in the BNC/FSC device may be operable totransmit the data on the one or more aggregated and/or non-aggregatedchannels. In step 1128, the one or more aggregated and/or non-aggregatedchannels may be de-allocated and returned to the pool of channels whentransmission is completed.

Subsequent to step 1128, a plurality of different steps may occur. In anexemplary embodiment of the invention, subsequent to step 1128, it maybe necessary to update the channels that are in the channel pools. Inother words, one or more channels may be removed from the channel pooland/or one or more channels may be removed from the channel pool.Accordingly, in step 1130, the channels listed in the channel table maybe scanned and the channels in the channel pool may be updated if neededand the channels in the channel table may also be updated. In anotherexemplary embodiment of the invention, subsequent to step 1128, it maybe necessary to update the channel parameters for the channels in thechannel pool. Accordingly, subsequent to step 1128, step 1112 may beexecuted, where the channel parameters for the channels in the channelpool may be updated. Other steps may be executed without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for concurrentcommunication of data among Broadband Near Field Communication (BNC)with full spectrum capture (FSC) devices, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 12, there isshown BNC/FSC devices 110 a, 110 b and 110 c. In step 1202, the BNC/FSCdevice 110 a, desires to engage in a communication session with BNC/FSCdevice 110 c. In step 1204, the BNC/FSC device 110 a establishessynchronization with the BNC/FSC device 110 c. In step 1206, the BNC/FSCdevice 110 b desires to engage in a communication session with BNC/FSCdevice 110 c. In step 1208, the BNC/FSC device 110 a establishesspreading/despreading code and security settings with the BNC/FSC device110 c. In step 1210, the BNC/FSC device 110 b establishessynchronization with the BNC/FSC device 110 c. In step 1212, the BNC/FSCdevice 110 b establishes spreading/despreading code and securitysettings with the BNC/FSC device 110 c.

In step 1214, concurrent with the BNC/FSC device 110 b, during thecommunication session for the BNC/FSC device 110 a and BNC/FSC device110 c, the BNC/FSC device 110 a is operable to transmit data over alarge bandwidth. In step 1216, concurrent with the BNC/FSC device 110 a,during the communication session for the BNC/FSC device 110 b andBNC/FSC device 110 c, the BNC/FSC device 110 b is operable to transmitdata over a large bandwidth. In step 1218, the BNC/FSC device 110 c isoperable to capture the spectrum and use the spreading/despreading codeand the security setting for the BNC/FSC device 110 a to demodulate thecommunication session with BNC/FSC device 110 a and use thespreading/despreading code and security setting for the BNC/FSC device110 b to demodulate the communication session with the BNC/FSC device110 b. It should be recognized that the order of the exemplary steps1202 and 1218 as listed is not limited to the sequence in which they arepresented. Accordingly, the steps may occur in one or more other orderswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In various embodiments of the invention, a wireless communication devicecomprising a transmitter such as the BNC/FSC transmitter 210 a isoperable to transmit generated wireless broadband signals at a powerlevel that is below a spurious emissions mask such that the transmittedwireless broadband signals occupy a designated frequency spectrum band.The BNC/FSC transmitter 210 a may be operable to transmit the wirelessbroadband signals so that they occupy a bandwidth of approximately 800MHz within a range of approximately 0 Hz to 1 GHz. The BNC/FSCtransmitter 210 a may be operable to transmit the wireless broadbandsignals so that the corresponding power utilized for transmitting thewireless broadband signals may be spread over a bandwidth ofapproximately 300 MHz within the 800 MHz bandwidth. The BNC/FSCtransmitter 210 a may be operable to spread the wireless broadbandsignals to the spreading results in the power spectral density of thetransmitted wireless broadband signals approximating thermal noise at adistance of approximately 3 meters. The BNC/FSC transmitter 210 a may beoperable to sense available channels within the designated frequencyspectrum band prior to transmission of the wireless broadband signals.The BNC/FSC transmitter 210 a may be operable to aggregate a pluralityof the sensed available channels for the transmission of the wirelessbroadband signals. The BNC/FSC transmitter 210 a may be operable totransmit the wireless broadband signals via one or more asymmetric gainantennas. In this regard, the transmission of the wireless broadbandsignals by the BNC/FSC transmitter 210 a via the one or more asymmetricgain antennas may utilize low gain. The transmitted wireless broadbandsignals may be received, by a receiver, via the one or more asymmetricgain antennas utilizing a high gain.

As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in thelist joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means any elementof the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, “x, y,and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x,y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the term “exemplary”means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. Asutilized herein, the terms “e.g.,” and “for example” set off lists ofone or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. Asutilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform a function wheneverthe circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and code (if any isnecessary) to perform the function, regardless of whether performance ofthe function is disabled, or not enabled, by some user-configurablesetting.

Although this disclosure makes various references to BNC and near-fieldcommunications in general, in some implementations communicationsdescribed above as using near-field communications may also oralternatively use transition zone (distances between near field and farfield) communications and/or far-field communications. Accordingly,aspects of the present invention, including various devices, protocols,and systems described herein using “BNC” or “near-field” modifiers,should be considered as disclosing corresponding transition zone andfair-field devices, protocols, and systems. Therefore, a claim termshould not be construed as being necessarily limited by the terms “BNC”or “near-field” unless such modifiers are explicitly recited in theclaim with respect to such claim term.

Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine and/orcomputer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, amachine code and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for a methodand system for broadband near-field communication utilizing fullspectrum capture supporting configuration and regulatory requirements.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software. The presentinvention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind ofcomputer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computer system with a computerprogram that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computersystem such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: in a wireless communicationdevice: transmitting wireless broadband signals at a power level that isbelow a spurious emissions mask, wherein said transmitted wirelessbroadband signals occupy a designated frequency spectrum band.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, comprising generating said wirelessbroadband signals having said power level that is below said spuriousemissions mask.
 3. The method according to claim 2, comprising spreadingsaid generated wireless broadband signals having said power level thatis below said spurious emissions mask across said entire designatedfrequency spectrum band.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein abandwidth of said wireless broadband signals occupy approximately 800MHz within a range of 0 Hz to 1 GHz.
 5. The method according to claim 4,comprising spreading a corresponding transmit power utilized for saidtransmitting of said wireless broadband signals over a bandwidth ofapproximately 300 MHz within said 800 MHz bandwidth.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 5, wherein said spreading results in a power spectraldensity of said transmitted wireless broadband signals approximatingthermal noise at a distance of approximately 3 meters.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising sensing available channels within saiddesignated frequency spectrum band for said transmission of saidwireless broadband signals.
 8. The method according to claim 7,comprising aggregating a plurality of said sensed available channels forsaid transmission of said wireless broadband signals.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising transmitting of said wireless broadbandsignals via one or more asymmetric gain antennas.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein: said transmission of said wirelessbroadband signals via one or more asymmetric gain antennas utilizes lowgain; and receiving of said transmitted wireless broadband signals viasaid one or more asymmetric gain antennas utilizes high gain.
 11. Asystem, comprising: one or more circuits for use in a wirelesscommunication device, said one or more circuits being operable to:transmit wireless broadband signals at a power level that is below aspurious emissions mask, wherein said transmitted wireless broadbandsignals occupy a designated frequency spectrum band.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable togenerate said wireless broadband signals having said power level that isbelow said spurious emissions mask.
 13. The system according to claim12, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to spread saidgenerated wireless broadband signals having said power level that isbelow said spurious emissions mask across said entire designatedfrequency spectrum band.
 14. The system according to claim 11, wherein abandwidth of said wireless broadband signals occupy approximately 800MHz within a range of 0 Hz to 1 GHz.
 15. The system according to claim14, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to spread acorresponding transmit power utilized for said transmission of saidwireless broadband signals over a bandwidth of approximately 300 MHzwithin said 800 MHz bandwidth.
 16. The system according to claim 15,wherein said spreading results in a power spectral density of saidtransmitted wireless broadband signals approximating thermal noise at adistance of approximately 3 meters.
 17. The system according to claim11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to sense availablechannels within said designated frequency spectrum band for saidtransmission of said wireless broadband signals.
 18. The systemaccording to claim 17, wherein said one or more circuits are operable toaggregate a plurality of said sensed available channels for saidtransmission of said wireless broadband signals.
 19. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable totransmit said wireless broadband signals via one or more asymmetric gainantennas.
 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein: saidtransmission of said wireless broadband signals via said one or moreasymmetric gain antennas utilizes low gain; and receiving of saidtransmitted wireless broadband signals via said one or more asymmetricgain antennas utilizes high gain.